Vulnerable
by darkmagic-luvr
Summary: GaaIno. It was really dumb to become attached to someone you knew you couldn't keep.
1. Chapter 1

**Vulnerable**

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><p>It hadn't started out the way she thought it would. Not that she <em>thought<em> she would end up sleeping with the leader of a foreign country, but if she was going to, this wasn't how it would have happened in her head. She had a pretty broad imagination, but never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined herself drinking silently and alone in a dark corner of a bar, nursing her sake and just wishing she could go home and sleep. She loved sleep, really, at least she used to; at least before said foreign leader had been inside her. Now…_now_ she was just brooding and disappointed because he was gone and she was alone and all she wanted to do was go home and not smell him in her sheets.

But she was a ninja and as one, she kept a finite amount of chakra in her senses to enhance them in case of stalking or genjustu and if she cut off one of her senses she could be in big fucking trouble. But on the other hand, no matter how many times she washed her sheets they still smelled like Sabaku no Gaara, Godaime _jerk_. Ino shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clenching her thighs to relieve some of the building pressure. This is why she was trying to get drunk; he wasn't in Konoha to ease her suffering, so she was left to pick up her own pieces. It sucked being left behind, but he was Kage and she was…her life was so complicated.

Sometimes she was ANBU and Ibiki's interrogation officer, sometimes she was a medical nin who assisted Sakura or Shizune, sometimes she was even sent on missions with Shikamaru and Choji, but whatever she was, it was never in charge.

So complicated, such a pain in the ass. Ino snorted lightly to herself, she sounded like Shika. It didn't matter what she did with her life, she was a ninja, and a damn good one; good enough that the Kazekage noticed her, and not just because she was nice to look at. He'd actually _seen_ her, which was a nice change to what she usually got as first impressions.

Ino blinked down at her empty sake cup, the bottle in her hand completely upturned and not even dripping. She was out, and unfortunately at her alcohol limit for the night. It wouldn't do for her to go home actually _drunk_, especially if she was needed in the morning from either Ibiki or Sakura. Ino sighed and placed her sake bottle on the tabletop with a little click and pushed herself up off the cushion she was sitting on. The rest of the bar was dark and relatively loud, but it was still early and there was still enough time for the noise level to reach ear splitting. She quirked her eyebrow at Kotetsu in greeting as he walked out of the restroom, and received a half smirk in return.

"Want a drink?"

Ino shook her head. "I'm done for tonight." Kotetsu nodded in understanding and turned to head back to wherever he'd come from, leaving her to walk out of the bar in peace.

Ino folded her hands behind her head as she made the slow trek back to the flower shop and consequently her apartment over it. Her liquid blanket kept her from being too bothered by the fall air and she had to wonder if it was any better or worse in Suna. She cursed under her breath as a flash of red hair entered her mind immediately. Thinking about him wouldn't do her any good, it wasn't like he cared.

She swore a little louder this time, startling a little old man closing his shop as she passed. Ino ignored him, glaring up at the night sky. She shouldn't be thinking about Gaara like he was a monster, or someone who wouldn't care about the people he slept with. It was just her emotions flipping out at being rejected, because he left. It didn't matter to her that he had to leave, it mattered that he had to leave. So she was contradictory, she was Yamanaka Ino, she was allowed to be; it was her charm, it was her kekkei genkai, and if she wasn't then how was she supposed to psyche out her enemies? Ino was a girly-girl, she killed big bad men after they dropped their guards in front of a pretty little blonde with big blue eyes who stomped her foot like a petulant child. And they always died with a tone of surprise.

"_You're very pretty when you cry…do you practice often?"_

Ino shook her head, blocking out the rest of her memory before it started looping in her mind. She didn't need the reminder, not then. Ino paid little attention to her surroundings as she pulled her keys from her pocket, stopping on the welcome mat in front of her families shop she slipped the silver key into the locked and walked in. Not bothering to turn on any lights she managed to maneuver her way around displays and the empty boxes her dad must have been too lazy to throw out when the shop had closed…seven hours ago. Ino shook her head, taking the stairs that lead to the apartments above. She lived alone above the flower shop, after turning 18 she had put her foot down and _told_ her father she wasn't going to live with him any longer. He was a grown man, and she was…well, it hadn't gone over very well at first, until she mentioned living at the store. It still didn't make her dad happy, he didn't understand why she wanted to live with her _mother_ instead of her father. She told him her reasons were her own, that _no_ she wasn't choosing between them, and she really just needed her own space.

Really though, her mother was gone six nights out of seven to spend time at either the greenhouse on Yamanaka land or and her father, who she knew loved her deeply and was only looking out for her best interests, was a shinobi and she was his only child, his daughter, his baby girl, and could _not_ get over the fact that she had grown up into a woman with _needs_. And almost immediately after that thought crossed her head, the image of a naked red head replaced it and Ino groaned out loud.

She'd reached the top of the staircase and was just about to open the door when a chakra signature on the other side made her pause. It was suppressed slightly, enough that it wouldn't alert any other ninja in the vicinity to his presence, just his intended target. Her.

Ino restrained herself from calling chakra to her hands as she pushed open her apartment door, but only barely. Gaara was leaning against the wall across from the door next to her couch, his arms crossed loosely across his chest. He'd left the lights off, but the moonlight shining in from the window made his pale skin glow. His gourd was propped up against the couch at his feet and his vest was absent along with his cloaky-thing, leaving him in his long sleeved red shirt and black slacks. Ino turned her face up slightly, looking at him warily; tossing her keys onto the kitchen counter on her right, taking her time to make a point as she pulled off her shoes and dropped them next to his beside the door. He couldn't have been here long, she'd been in a bar full of ninja, someone would have gossiped about the Kazekage spontaneously showing up in the middle of the night.

Ino slowly shut the door behind her, knowing that when she did all hell would break loose. She pressed her fingers against the wood until the resounding _click_ echoed through her apartment; if she had blinked she would have missed his disappearance from the wall. Her breath stopped when he appeared again, right in front of her, crowding her back against the door she'd just shut. Ino could feel the steady heat of his body against her skin like he was a heater, the slow deep breaths he was taking made her hair move flutter against her cheek. The energy was coming off him in waves and she had no idea how she could possibly still be standing with him so close and not touching her.

Composing herself as best as she could, Ino lifted her eyes up to meet his, her tongue darting out to wet her suddenly dry lips. "Gaara."

He gave her nothing in return, no pleasantries, no smile, not even a grunt to acknowledge he'd heard her speak. His eyes just dropped from hers to her mouth then back up again. His gaze was smoldering, a far cry from the expression he usually wore, which could be just as intense and nerve wracking, but didn't wet her panties _nearly_ as fast as this one did. Ino swallowed, heat pooling in her core; she could feel her hands shaking and clenched them into fists to make it stop. He'd break first, he always did.

And just like with the door, as soon as she thought it, it happened. Gaara's mouth crashed over hers brutally, his hands going to her body without hesitation, one hand tugging up the hem of her skirt while the other dug into the small of her back and causing her to arch up into him, gasping at the feel of his hands on her bare skin. He took her lower lip between his teeth, tugging gently; it was the only assent he would ask from her until they were spent. She moved into action, raising her hands to either side of his face and kissed him back heatedly, sliding her tongue into his mouth and for him that was permission enough. Roughly, he grabbed her upper thigh, hauling her off the ground and pinning her against the door with his body. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist and she sunk into their kiss, running her hands through his hair and ignoring her oxygen starved lungs until she was gasping against his mouth. Gaara was breathing just as hard, but took the time away from her mouth to drag his lips down the column of her throat, sucking on the tender skin under her jaw until she caught her breath.

"Gaa-_ra_." her voice sounded breathless and strained in her ears, Gaara only pressed himself against her harder, making her groan. She could _feel_ him against her; was going to die if he wasn't inside of her soon. Tightening her grip in his hair, Ino forced Gaara's face back up to meet hers, molding her lips against his already open mouth for a long, drugged kiss before pulling away again. He growled at the lose of her, his fingers digging into her thighs almost painfully. Angling her head up a bit so she could catch his eye, Ino twirled her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "Bedroom."

He had the nerve to snerk at her, his heavily lidded eyes sparkling with amusement briefly and he finally spoke. "For what? Modesty?" his voice lowered to a whisper, his eyes falling down her neck and he leaned into press a kiss below her ear, mumbling against her skin. "I like you here."

_And I like you anywhere_, thought Ino, tempting to say but she shook her head instead. "For the sake of my poor door," she said, smirking at the memory of waking up one morning to find _splinters_ in her _ass_. "I don't think it can hold up to your stamina again."

He hummed against her neck, but hesitated, pressing his nose under her jaw and breathing in the sent of her skin. She let herself relax in the tenderness of the moment, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and they stood against her door for a few minutes in silence. The moments like this one, just standing in each others arms without making a sound, that was the cause of Ino's inner turmoil; he wasn't just after her for sex, he liked her company, her conversation, sleeping next to her. It made her want to keep him, even though she knew she couldn't.

Gaara's arms tightened around her briefly and he pulled his face away from her neck, stepping away from the door and ignoring the little creaks it gave from relief of the pressure against it. He walked blindly in the direction of her bedroom, knowing the way, catching her mouth again hungrily until their previous heat was back.

Ino was too distracted by his mouth to pay attention to where he was going; one minute he was pressing her into the doorframe of her bedroom and running his teeth along her neck, the next they were sinking into her comforter sharing long drawn out kisses that left them both breathless. Her fingers played lazily with the buttons on Gaara's shirt, taking her time even as his hips pressed against hers impatiently.

"I thought you were back in Suna," mumbled Ino, feeling one of Gaara's hands pull at the tie holding up her hair until it came loose. Gaara hn'd passively, pulling away for a second to push her bangs out of her face.

"Change of plans," he muttered. Ino took advantage of his distraction and finished unbuttoning his shirt, pushing the offending fabric off his shoulders and tossing it away from her bed. She sighed inwardly, raking her gaze down his chest.

Tentatively, Ino pressed her palm against his chest, her fingers touching the edge of a scar near his shoulder. "I'm glad you're here," she whispered, feeling a blush rise up on her face. Gaara nudged her cheek with his nose, bringing her focus back to him.

Gaara pulled at the hem of her shirt, the snaps holding it closed popping apart with one smooth jerk of his wrist, leaving her chest bare for him. His palm slid between flesh and fabric, his mouth falling to the valley between her breasts. Ino slid her hands between him, the action pushed her breasts into his face; she pulled the ties of his pants free with surprisingly steady hands. He growled against her, the sound vibrating through her chest. She was actually surprised how much he was holding back; their first round was usually hard and fast and desperate, until his hunger for her was sated -or at least under control. All he was doing right now was being a tease.

Ino pawed at his hip desperately, arching into his mouth as his teeth did devastating things to her breasts. "Gaara _please_."

His face appeared over hers, touching his nose to hers. He hissed at her. "Impatient."

Ino ran her lips over his gently. "I missed you." Gaara's eyes softened slightly, some tension in his shoulders relaxing at her confession; he deepened the kiss but kept it gentle and sweet while one of his hands shifted to her shoulder. He slid his hand down the length of her arm and settling on her hip, his thumb hooking under the waistband of her skirt and pulling it along with the black shorts down her legs. Ino growled into his mouth and dug her fingernails into his hips; she was impatient with the slowness, she wanted bruises on her thighs and imprints of his teeth on her skin. He only smirked against her lips and hooked his hand under her knee, drawing a pattern on her skin with his fingertips.

Ino pulled away from him suddenly, frowning up at him. He _was_ teasing her. "Why are you in such a good mood?"

Gaara lifted a shoulder passively, still smirking down at her. "Does it matter?" Her expression became dry and with an unusually dramatic sigh Gaara pulled away from her, sitting back on his heels and leaving her _cold_. "Do I really need a reason?"

Ino smirked back at him, lifting an eyebrow. "Usually," she said lightly, ignoring the way his eyes flicked up to the ceiling in exasperation. She pushed him playfully in the stomach to get him to look at her. "C'mon…here I am, lying mostly naked beneath you and you're taking the opportunity to make conversation. Either you don't want me or you're in _such_ a good mood that the idea of foreplay is actually appealing," Ino's eyes dropped to his crotch pointedly where his erection was straining his pants and slowly raised her eyes back to his face, taking every inch of sculpted muscle in as she did. "And since I _know_ you want me…"

The softness in Gaara's eyes was back, and he paused for a moment before answering her. "…I'm happy to see you."

Ino sat up quickly, her top sliding down her arms (she flung it away as soon as she remembered it was there and wrapped one arm around his shoulders), grinning stupidly up at the red head. "Was that so hard?"

Gaara shook his head, smirking, pushing her back into the mattress with his body, mouth hovering over hers. "You're impossible."

"You're an _ass_," she countered with a groan. He'd taken the opportunity to divest her skirt and shorts from her legs, settling between them even as she slid her hand down his pants just to feel his heat. He pressed an open mouth kiss to her neck, his tongue running over her pulse point. He bucked his hips into her hand, groaning against her neck. Ino pulled her hand away, pushing and tugging his pants down his hips until his erection was free of constraints.

A bit of shifting and one long kiss and he was pushing himself inside her, sucking in a breath near her ear while Ino just tried to muffle her cries. She turned her head, pressing a kiss to the side of Gaara's jaw at almost the exact moment he started moving, rocking his hips into her slowly. Ino snarled against his neck, her eyes squeezing shut in desperation. "I swear to Kami I will put you on your back if you don't give me what I want."

He had the audacity to chuckle at her, but he complied to her threat, slamming into her roughly and making her shriek, arching against his chest. He kept the pace, pleased by her reaction, reaching down to lift her hip off the bed at an angle and driving in deeper.

.

The Suna ANBU watched with thinly veiled amusement as their Leaf counterparts openly stared at the closed bedroom window where the Kazekage's chakra had moved to. The masked Suna guards were used to this sort of thing from their leader, at least whenever they were in _this_ village. A scream from inside the Yamanaka's apartment had both Konoha ANBU straightening immediately, their hands going for their weapons without hesitation, until they realized Suna was not even perturbed.

"Is there a reason you're not alert?" asked one of the Leaf ANBU darkly, his Hawk mask mostly obscured by the hood over his head. One of the Suna ANBU chuckled lightly, half of his Sand Viper mask cracked through, leaving swatches of the fabric face cover beneath it visible.

"Ja…Don't tell me you don't know what he's _doing_ in there," the other sneered behind the mask of a Hyena, leaning against the trunk of the tree all four of them were standing on with his arms crossed loosely over his chest, looking the perfect picture of boredom.

"The Yamanaka-"

"Enough, Hawk. I can smell them from here," snapped the other ANBU, quieting his subordinate. The Kazekage's guard shared a knowing look, and Hyena sighed wistfully.

"Kazekage-domo _insisted_ on stopping in Konoha," he said offhandedly, eyeing the way Hawk's shoulders stiffened at his words, even more so when another muffled cry from the Yamanaka girl reached their ears. "Not that this was out of the way at all-"

"Does Suna breed incompetence, or are the teachings still just as ineffective as they've always been?" snapped Hawk, whirling around to face Hyena. The other Leaf nin shook his head at his young partner's stupidity, sharing a quick and knowing look with the quieter masked Viper.

"They are trained in a great many different ways, Hawk," he said gravely, his focus returning to the Yamanaka residence. There had just been a sudden release of chakra, but the Suna didn't seem to mind it. "For example, Hyena seems to have mastered the great art of _knowing what sets off his enemies_." Hawk turned back around, stiff at the level of venom he'd been addressed with.

"But…we're not enemies."

The Sand Viper sighed heavily, spurring Hyena to start talking, his voice filled with humor. "You took the wrong part of that lesson away, kid. Your sempai means I'm trying to piss you off - oh! I _have,_ look at that."

Hawk snarled, but was cut of by another release of chakra, this time accompanied with another, slightly larger one. Sand Viper nodded, shifting his weight away in preparation to turn away from the flower shop. Hyena followed suit. "How about a little privacy, ja? He knows we're watching."

Hawk started, alarmed. "He does?"

"Kazekage-domo has been here seven times in the last six months, and every night he spends with _her_. If you have a problem with us taking a step back then by all means wait here for Suna's greatest weapon to deal with you, but we're gonna monitor the house from a safer distance."

"Safer?"

"Safer for _us,_ ja."


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rose early in Konoha in the fall, the Lad of Fire was probably one of the only ones that experienced seasons like clockwork. So when Ino felt the rays of sunlight hit her face from the cracks in her curtains, she was expecting Gaara to be gone. But there he was, facing her on his side, pale-green eyes open and watching her sleep.

"You're still here," she said softly into the darkness of her bedroom, Gaara said nothing, just reached up to push her bangs out of her face, his fingers lingering in her hair for a moment before tracing the outline of her neck, then her shoulder. He licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak, but he hesitated, like he didn't know what to say. Ino frowned at him and slid closer, pushing her nose against his cheek and kissing him gently.

"Ino…"

She shushed him and kissed him again, slowly, drawing sharp breaths from him. He pushed her onto her back and hovered over her, but made no move to progress any further than kissing. He backed off suddenly, and stared down at her seriously.

"I'm not coming back to Konoha for a while," said Gaara softly, his eyes sliding away from her. Ino felt her insides go cold and struggled to keep the disappointment off her face.

"You're not?" he shook his head. "Why?"

Gaara sighed and moved off her, dropping onto his back and closing his eyes. "The negotiations are nearly done between the villages. Suna and Konoha have been allies for a while and there wasn't much to discuss between us. Even so, Tsunade was keen on dragging them out as long as possible. I'm being called back."

"For…For how long?" He didn't answer and for a moment Ino thought he might have fallen asleep, but those cold jade eyes opened and he stared up at the ceiling unblinkingly.

"Indefinitely."

The pit of Ino's stomach opened up and her insides spilled out leaving her feeling empty and numb. He'd said it all without inflection in his usual dry tone, seemingly unmoved by the possibility of never seeing her again, but she was a Yamanaka. There was a tightness around his mouth and his eyes were clouded with regret, but it wasn't enough to mollify the hurt she was feeling.

"Why are you here now?" Gaara turned his head and stared at her, something heavy in his gaze that Ino couldn't read and it scared her that she didn't know what he was feeling. Part of her was afraid to know. But she held his gaze; she held it for so long she forgot what she had asked in the first place. He sat up, rotating his shoulders for a moment and climbed out of her bed.

"I have to go."

"Of course," she said softly, looking away from his back to give him some sort of privacy. She turned onto her side, listening to him pull his clothes on. He wasn't being rushed about it, and that alone gave her some hope - but she quickly crushed it. It wouldn't do her any good have any lingering feelings for him, it would be better if she just let go and forgot.

Ino felt more than heard Gaara hesitate at her bedroom doorway. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her back, and when he was gone she was left cold and alone. She didn't even hear her door close. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly Ino held her breath and clenching her teeth together to fight off the emotions rolling in her stomach. She'd gone without him before, she could do it again. She didn't need him to be happy.

Even if that's how it felt.

.

Tsunade stared blankly over her clasped hands at the silent man seated across from her. Her elbow was threatening to slip from the edge of the desk she had it propped on, every now and then it was roll over dangerously. She sighed, giving into her bodies discomfort and forgetting the stupid staring contest with the stubborn redheaded kage, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms under her chest. She harrumphed, the first sound either of them had made in the ten minutes since he'd been escorted in to see her. Gaara quirked an eyebrow at her, and for a moment Tsuade thought he looked amused.

"We are done then?" asked Tsunade finally. Gaara didn't move, causing her to huff in exasperation. "You can't have her, Gaara-sama, we've been over this."

"My village could use her," he said quickly, almost before she'd even finished. His eyes bore holes into her scull. "Konoha is small-"

"Hey!"

Gaara was already continuing, shaking his head and ignoring her interruption. "Comparatively. I have hundreds of people to take care of, Tsunade. Children. Yamanaka Ino would be helpful."

Tsunade bit her lip and looked away. She could spare Ino, that wasn't out of the question, but she didn't want to. Call her selfish, but she'd seen the way Gaara and Ino had attracted each other, she'd heard the rumors around ANBU that the Kazekage had taken the pretty blonde to bed and with that information knew he would be hard pressed to let her go. But Tsunade wanted Ino for Konoha. True she wasn't the best field medic, but she had a natural affinity for the mental disabilities and that was almost invaluable. No one could map a brain like Yamanaka Ino.

"The answer is no, Gaara," said Tsunade firmly, unable to look at the redhead. She felt his anger spike dangerously for a moment before he managed to clamp down on his emotions. She shivered at the cold he left her with. He was almost sweet sometimes…she'd forgotten after all this time he was still so dangerous.

He stood gracefully despite the ridiculously large gourd on his back and she finally looked at him, not surprised when she met cold eyes. "Then yes, Tsunade, we are done."

It was troubling how ominous that sounded coming from him. Tsunade stood and bowed respectively to him and he reciprocated, though she could see it pained him to do so, and in a small whirlwind of sand he was gone from her office. Tsunade slumped back into her chair, feeling boneless and exhausted. It was only seven in the morning for Kami sake, she should _not_ have to deal with that man so early. She grumbled darkly, reaching under her desk for the reserve sake she kept hidden from Shizune and drank straight from the bottle.

It was how Shizune and Shikamaru found her ten minutes later, after hearing from the gate guards that the Kazekage had left with his entourage in a cold mood. Shikamaru sighed at his red-faced Hokage, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling in exasperation but this was not new behavior.

Shizune looked less perturbed by the drinking, more concerned with _why_ her Hokage needed to be drinking so early in the morning in the first place. "Tsuande-sama, the Kazekage…?"

Tsuande's upper lip pulled into a snarl, but it quickly faded and she slumped forward onto her desk, resting her elbows on it's surface and digging her fingers into her hair. "He just had to stop for the night. There was something we needed to discuss."

Shikamaru's eyebrow rose, his eyes falling back to her. "What about?"

Tsuade's flicked a piece of sand she found stuck in her hair in his direction. "Tsk, like you don't know…"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Probably, but I'm not going to stick my foot in my mouth, especially if I know something that you don't."

Tsuande grumbled something incoherently and dropped her forehead against her desk. She wasn't sure why she was taking this as hard as she was, but something about Gaara's request coupled with his exit had her on edge. "I may have…aggravated our relationship with Suna…"

Shizune's eyes widened in shock. "What did you _do?_"

Tsuande stood suddenly, slamming her hands against her desk. It buckled dangerously but didn't collapse. "I did my job as Hokage! _He's_ just acting like a brooding teenager."

Shikarmaru shook his head, pointing lazily at her. "He is a teenager."

Tsuande waved the information away. "Ne, he's Kazekage. He's not allowed to act his age."

"You certainly don't," muttered Shizune. Tsunade pointedly chose to ignore her. Shizune frowned suddenly, cocking her head to the side with interest. "You never said what he wanted."

Tsunade shook her head absently, turning away from the pair and looking out the window. Konoha was slowly coming to life before her eyes, and soon enough she would have missions to assign and patients to see. Thoughts of how Gaara would respond to her rejection to have Yamanaka Ino assigned temporarily to Suna would have to wait. She breathed evenly for a few moments before turning back around.

"It's not important. His request was denied."

Shizune blinked in surprise. "Denied? Gaara-sama doesn't ask us for much, was it the counsel's decision-"

"It was mine," said Tsunade firmly, her tone ending the conversation absolutely. Shizune shut her mouth obediently, Shikamaru raised his eyes to the ceiling and closed them tiredly.

"Did you even _tell_ Ino about it?"

Tsunade's chest tightened with rage. Shikamaru just confirmed the rumors she'd been hearing - Ino had become involved with the Kazekage, something not only foolish but also expressly forbidden. Not for him, of course, but for her. She should have known better. Swallowing back her anger Tsunade forced her face to relax. "It wasn't her decision to _make_, Nara, it was mine."

Shikamaru shrugged. "You have to deal with him, Hokage-sama." and that was all the apology she would get from him. Tsunade held back the urge to stick her tongue out at him, but only barely.

"Whatever. Shizune, send a request to Naruto. I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

"What about?" asked Shizune, moving smoothly to the desk to grab a slip of paper and a pencil. Tsunade sat back in her chair and dropped her cheek into her hand, sighing dramatically.

"I want to retire."

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><p><strong>Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far! I have to admit that I'm sort of really completely obsessed with GaaraIno at the moment and have a number of fics surrounding the two in progress, but I was convinced by a friend to just start posting this.**

**Please take a moment to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto stared blankly at Tsunade for a long, _long_ time. Naruto looked like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth slowly and wordlessly. Shizune was staring at Tsunade worriedly, holding Tonton to her chest.

Finally fed up with Naruto's silence, Tsuande turned to Shizune. "If this is how he's going to react to important news maybe I shouldn't retire after all."

_That_ seemed to jog the blond into action. Straightening immediately, Naruto shut his mouth and stood tall and determined.

"Is this a serious proposal, Tsunade-baa-chan?" asked Naruto seriously. Tsunade blinked at his tone, smirking inwardly. He was taking it seriously, good.

"It is," said Tsunade, standing up from her chair, leaning across her desk with her palms pressed flat against it. "Uzumaki Naruto, I want to petition the counsel to elect you as next Hokage. In two years, you'll be twenty one, do you think you'll be prepared by then to succeed me?"

Naruto nodded once, firmly, his eyes steeled but bright with excitement. "I do, Hokage-sama."

Smirking openly now, Tsunade did a mental double take; that was probably the first time he'd addressed her by her title. How delightfully political of him. "Good. Shizune! Start the paperwork."

Shizune's head swung around, eyes widening slightly. "N-Now?"

Tsunade cackled. "The sooner we can start the more time we give those old windbags in the counsel to accept Naruto as Hokage."

Shizune eyed her warily. "Then this isn't a ploy to get the Kazekage off your back for pissing him off?" Tsunade cut her a glare in warning. Of course she had to tell Shizune about the request Gaara made, Shikamaru had practically spilled the beans already, _damn him_. But it was important that Shizune had the complete story, not just make assumptions based around what the Nara had alluded too. Shizune had _not_ been happy, and had even advocated for both Gaara and Ino, but Tsunade had explained her reasons; they were solid.

Naruto had caught the jab and his eyes narrowed in curiosity. "You made Gaara angry? What for?"

Tsunade made a noise in the back of her nose that sounded like something crossed between a sigh and a snarl, thinking quickly. She was a bit adverse to telling Naruto that Gaara's counsel had called him away permanently, and of course she didn't want to tell him about Gaara's request for Ino. The blonde would _not_ hesitate to run his mouth about _that_ bit of information. On the other hand she had just told the boy that she was prepared to groom him for her position. It was important that he knew why she did things, not because she had personal investment, but because it was for the good of the village…not that _this_ was doing the village any good _or_ bad…

Tsunade linked her fingers and set them in front of her on her desk. "Gaara's council has decided to call him back to Suna indefinably. Konoha wont be getting any more visits from the Kazekage any time soon."

Naruto's reaction was understandable. Confusion and anger. He and Gaara were close, they shared a bond that most people couldn't even dream of having; Naruto was responsible for Gaara's sanity for Kami's sake! So Tsuande waited patiently for Naruto to stop raging, and when he had quieted down some she stood, sweeping around her desk and heading for her door.

"I know you're upset Naruto," said Tsuande firmly. "But you have to understand that Gaara is an important man. His village needs him, just like our village will need you soon."

This seemed to be the right thing to say, because Naruto immediately calmed down, and the hard frown on his face turned softer, more thoughtful. Tsunade beckoned him to her, reaching out for her door as she did. "Let's discuss more about your role to the village over ramen."

_This_ brightened his face considerably. Shizune however, balked. "Ah, Tsunade-sama, you have paper work to do and the academy is-"

"Oi, Shizune you can take care of that," said Tsunade with a grin, tossing an arm across Naruto's shoulders as he bounded up to her, singing something about ramen at the top of his lungs. "Naruto and I have important things to discus."

She let the door shut on Shizune's flabbergasted expression and steered Naruto in the direction of Ichiraku's, cackling inwardly - no work for her!

.

Ino never managed to get back to sleep after Gaara had left; she'd tossed and turned for about an hour before huffing irritably and getting up to ready herself for the day. She showered quickly, just in case she got a missive regarding her duties for the day. She was just sticking a spoon filled with yogurt into her mouth when she spotted a messenger bird outside her window.

She was in a particularly foul mood when she showed up in Ibiki's office, and for no apparent reason either. Ibiki had requested her for something, she didn't know what, and the vagueness of his request was what pissed her off. She was tired and sore and sad. All she wanted to do was go home and eat ice cream until she puked. Ibiki walked into his office, took one look at her and sighed.

Ino glared at him. "What?" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest irritably. Ibiki shook his head, dropping a thick looking folder onto his desk.

"I heard the Kazekage stopped by the village last night." Ino rolled her eyes away from him, her upper lip twitching angrily.

"_And?_"

He sent her a pointed look. "Let me rephrase that, I heard he visited _you_ last night." Ino clicked her tongue, irritated, but kept silent. Ibiki's expression hardened. "You know the drill, Yamanaka. Spill."

Ino turned her head too look at Ibiki, finally, sneering at the scarred man who continued to stare at her impassively. "There wasn't a lot of _talking_ done, Ibiki-sempei."

"Whatever's relevant, Yamanaka-san," sighed Ibiki, dropping back into his chair and kicking his heels up onto his desk. Ino was always surprised by how laid back he seemed to be whenever he was in the company of his colleges. He cracked his fingers rhythmically, waiting. She finally rolled her eyes.

"He said the negotiations between the villages were finished and his council was calling him back," Ino hesitated, not wanting to put emotion into her next word but knowing Ibiki would see through any farce she tried to pull. "Indefinitely." she practically spat the word; emotional distance was apparently too difficult a concept for her at the moment. Ibiki raised an eyebrow very slowly at her and she managed not to glare back at him.

"Anything else?" Ino shrugged, loosing her anger. Her shoulders dropped and she turned her eyes to the floor. There were other important things, important things between _them_ that Ibiki didn't have to know and she didn't have to share. Like the glass pendant Gaara had given her early in their relationship. He'd said it was made from his own sand, and it was to thank her for saving his life. It was precious to her, and if she wasn't afraid of someone guessing who it was from she'd wear it all the time. Or about the time his sand armor had almost failed him after his traveling delegation had run into a group of rouge Grass nin on their way to Konoha. She'd kissed the small cuts along his shoulder better and made him tea.

"He said he was happy to see me," said Ino softly, unable to look at Ibiki. He didn't have the decency to look away from her, but he did stand, moving around his desk to place a hand on her shoulder. Ino swallowed, closing her eyes. The last thing she wanted to see was pity from one of her teachers.

"Yamanaka-san," said Ibiki, his voice sounding strained in her ears. "You're…_loud_. Might want to work on that."

Jaw dropping, Ino turned her head to stare at Ibiki, feeling horrified that he'd even _said_ such things to her. Reflexively, she struck him in the gut, something she would have done to Shikamaru or Choji when either one of them was being inappropriate. "Ibiki-sempei, that's completely out of line!"

He snickered at her, something that was out of character for him. "I'm sure the Kazekage enjoyed the sounds you made, but those of us guarding him _did not-"_

Ino huffed, hitting him harder and pulling away from his side, heading for the door with her face bright red from embarrassment. "_Completely_ inappropriate," she stopped at the door, pulling it open half way and turned to look back at him with a serious expression. "I will accept an apology in the form of flowers and prisoners to practice my jutsu's on. In the mean time, fuck off Ibiki-sempei."

She walked out of his office to the sound of him laughing after her, the sound startling a few loitering nin close enough to hear it. She ignored the looks they sent her and headed out to the hospital. Ibiki hadn't needed her for anything _really_ important, and really she was wondering why she hadn't anticipated his summons. It had been the same routine since she started seeing Gaara. She didn't know _how_ Ibiki found out about their relationship, but that was most likely the doing of Suna's ANBU. Bunch of loud mouthed, eavesdropping perverts with far too much amusement in their Kazekage's love life.

Whenever Gaara left the village Ibiki would corner her and she would have to tell him what they talked about. It was for the safety of both villages, but it also gave Ibiki ridiculous amusement. Ino scowled to herself and stopped just outside the hospital, planting her hands on her hips.

_There was a tree branch sticking out of his chest, painting the wood red, like his hair. The tears in Ino's eyes were obscuring her vision as she tried to keep him from bleeding out, at the same time her head was pounding as she went through scenario after scenario to try and remove the branch. Another paper bomb went off near them, sending bits of rock and wood their way._

_Ino's stomach lurched suddenly as a hand pressed against her cheek. She'd been so focused on keeping the man beneath her alive that she didn't realize he was in fact alive still and staring at her as she worked. Ino felt Gaara's fingers flex against her face and raised her eyes up to meet his; glassy and a bit dazed._

"_You're very pretty when you cry," he mumbled, and Ino had to strain her ears to hear him. His lips quirked and he blinked once, very slowly. "Do you practice often?"_

"Ino-pig!"

The blonde medic turned her head to look over her shoulder, raising her chin in greeting as Sakura jogged slowly up to her. The pink-haired girl cocked her head to one side as she caught up. "I heard you were with Ibiki this morning?"

Ino shrugged and held back the urge to roll her eyes. "Just a discussion. He didn't have anything for me to do."

Sakura's mouth thinned in understanding. "Well, I'm sure there'll be something for you to do at the hospital."

"There better be. I'm not in the mood to be rejected," grumbled Ino. Sakura gave her a weird look, but didn't ask her what she meant, merely shrugged and lead the way into the hospital.

"Did you hear the Kazekage was in the village last night?" Sakura didn't know, she couldn't know. Ino cut her friend a narrow look, then grinned and shrugged.

"Yah. I always do." And wasn't that the truth. Sakura hummed absently, probably not caring and waved at TenTen dragging a semi-conscious Lee into one of the exam rooms, Neji behind her shaking his head with disgust.

"Ne, I'll go see what that's about," said Sakura, tapping Ino's shoulder lightly and headed off down the hall. Ino shook her head after her, the corners of her mouth twitching as TenTen snarled something to Neji that made him roll his eyes and snarl right back, jabbing his finger at Lee.

Ino turned away and headed for the surgery floor. There was always something for her to do there, and they usually appreciated her help.

.

Gaara felt the pace of his guards slow the further they got from Konoha. It hadn't bothered him at first, but it was starting to get annoying, and his temper was already thin after his meeting with Tsunade. He stopped suddenly, in turn causing his guards to stop. Inwardly he sighed.

"What is it, Kazekage-domo?" Gaara narrowed his eyes onto his hyena-masked ANBU guard, making the usually talkative man shift uncomfortably.

"Pick up the pace," was all he said after a beat of silence before taking off again. Gaara missed the way his ANBU looked at each other, but he sensed their hesitation. Before he could snap an order to them however, they were at his sides, matching his clipped pace without complaint. Whatever their problem was, it seemed to him that they had dealt with it.

If he knew they were worried about _him_, he might not have let the topic drop so easily.


End file.
